Mechano-vibratory apparatus



w. "r. SHALER MECHANO-VIBRATORY APPARATUS 'Nov. 7, 1939.

2 Shoe ts-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 3, 1936 INVENTOR.

WILLIAM T. SHALER.

m sATTORNEYs Nov. 7, 1939. w. 'r. SHALER flECHA-NO-VIBRATORY APPARATUS 2 Shuts-Sheet 2 Ltd Aug. '3, 1936 FIG. 4-.

, INVENTOR. WILLIAM T. SHALER.

1 SW w G /2 ATTORNEY.

FIG.6.

Patented Nov. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI CE 2,178,813 MECHANO-VIBRATORY APPARATUS William T Shaler, Silver Creek, N. Y. Application August 3, 1936, Serial No. 94,017

2 Claims.

This invention relates to mechano-vibratory apparatus.

Rotary mechanical vibrators operating on the rotary kinetic imbalance principle have been utilized to produce vibratory motion in various kinds of apparatus, such for example as material handling screens, sieves, conveyors, etc., and the present invention relates more particularly to the construction of the mechanical vibratory in motion producing apparatus and to the means for transmitting the vibratory motion to the apparatus to be vibrated. Herein my invention is illustrated and described as applied to the vibrating of a screen.

Heretofore in the application of vibratory motion producing apparatus or devices to the shaking of a screen, it has been customary to mount the same directly upon one side or end of the screen frame; but I have found that in such cases, the weight and inertia of the device itself causes harmonic vibrations to set up in the frame which are in such directions that they interfere with the flow of material over the screen, (or conveyor or the like which is being vibrated) and reduce the efficiency and prevent uniform performance thereof.

Again, screen frames are sometimes supported on hangers and adjusted so that one end is higher than the other, one end thus swinging forwardly and upwardly on a shorter radius than the other end. If, in such cases, the vibratory device is attached directly to the screen frame the vibratory thrust thereof being in the longitudinal direction of the frame has a downward component which opposes the upward swing of the screen and this sets up vibrations in the screen that are in the direction to reduce its efliciency.

It is therefore among the objects of this invention to provide:

An improved vibratory motion producing apparatus;

Improved means for transmitting vibratory motion of a vibratory motion producing apparatus, to an apparatus to be vibrated;

Improved mounting means for a vibratory motion producing apparatus;

Improved means for adjustably varying the periodicity of a vibratory motion producing apparatus while in operation.

Other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains. My invention is fully disclosed in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view with parts broken away and parts in section for clearness of an embodiment of my invention in association with a material handling screen;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view with parts broken away and parts in section for clearness 5 of the embodiment of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view taken from the right hand end of the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2 with parts likewise broken away and parts in section for clearness; 10

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the plane i-fi of Fig. 3 and drawn to a larger scale;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view to an enlarged scale taken from the plane 55 of 16 Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view of an embodiment similar to that of Figs. 1-5 but with the material handling screen in an inclined position; 20

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view to a larger scale of a part of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown generally at I a main frame or support upon which various parts of the apparatus to be described 25 are mounted. At 2, generally, is illustrated a screen and at 3 generally is illustrated a .vibratory apparatus for vibrating the screen 2.

The screen 2 may be of well known form and, as illustrated, comprises sides 4-4 and ends 55 0 in the form of a rectangular frame and screen cloth 6 is secured to the-under side of the frame. When the screen 2 is vibrated longitudinally in a manner to be described, material on the cloth will be moved longitudinally thereover from a 35 point at the forward end or right hand end at which material is deposited on the cloth toward the rearward end and will be screened therethrough, a transverse opening 1 in the rearward end 5 permitting the coarser material to pass 40 therethrough off of the screen cloth.

The support i comprises upper, transversely spaced beams 8-8 connected by transverse members 8--a. and supported upon uprights 9-9, at the rearward end, and l0l0 at the forward 45 end. At their lower ends, the uprights 9 and in are connected by beams l|ll and may stand upon feet I2-l2.

The screen 2 is suspended from the overhead beams 8-8 by hangers l3l3 which are flexible 50 or resilient so that when the screen 2 is vibrated to and fro, horizontally as viewed in Fig. 2, it

.Will have a parallelogram movement with respect to the overhead beams 8-8. In the form shown in Fig. 2, the hangers l3l3 are rigidly 55 connected to the overhead beams 8-8 and are pivotally connected at their lower ends as at 56-50 to the screen 2. Any suitable pin bearing connection at 56-56 may be provided. The rigid attachment of the upper ends of the hangers |3-|8 to the overhead beams 8-8 is preferably accomplished by the structure illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5. A sector 5| having an arcuate block 52 therein, circular around the pivot is secured to the overhead beams 8 by screws or bolts 53-53 projected through feet 54-54 at the ends of the sector 5| and the intermediate part of the sector between the feet 54 is spaced away from the beam 8 as shown at 55. A head 56 on the upper end of the hanger I3 is laid upon the sector 5| and clamped thereon by a bolt 51, the head of which lies in the space and the shank of which projects through and may be adjustably moved longitudinally of the slot 52.

The outer surface of the sector 5| is provided with a, plurality of teeth 58-58 which are radial with respect to the pivot 50, and the contiguous surface of the head 56 is provided with teeth 58 formed to mesh with the teeth 58.

As will be apparent, when the nut on the bolt 51 is drawn up tight, the head 56 will be interlocked with the sector 5| and cannot rotate around the bolt 51 and will be thereby rigidly connected to the beam 58. In the position illustrated, the head 56 is locked in the right end of the slot 52 and therefore because of the radial direction of the teeth 58 is inclined toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 2 but it will be observed that if the bolt 51 is losened and moved toward the left in the slot 52, the inclination of the hanger |3 will be reduced and in the extreme left end of the slot 52, the hanger l3 will depend vertically.

By this means, different types of movement may be given to the screen 2. For example, when the hangers I3 depend vertically, the screen 2 will have substantially horizontal movement; but when they depend at an angle, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the horizontal component of motion will be accompanied by a vertical component as illustrated by the arc of motion in Fig. 2; and as is well known in this art, such adjustment changes will change the character of the operation performed on the material being screened and will adjustably vary the character of its. movement over the screen.

Furthermore, by means of the rigid connections of the upper ends of the hangers |3|3, the screen 2 is prevented from drifting, by gravity, toward the right as viewed in Fig. 2 and reacting upon the vibratory apparatus to be described.

By means of the rigid connection at the upper ends of the hangers, the screen is independently supported and particularly when the hangers |3-|3 are of resilient material, the screen will vibrate thereon when once put in motion with substantially the same balanced efiect as if the hangers |3-|3 were vertical.

In some cases it may even be desired to have the hangers rigidly connected at both ends; and in some cases, furthermore, it may be desired to have the hangers at one end of the screen longer than at the other so that the screen will, at all times, slope. Both of these modifications are illustrated in Fig. 6 where the forward hangers |8-a are longer than the-rearward hangers l3-b. The upper ends of the hangers have heads 56-56 and sectors 5|-5| which may be like those already described in connection with Fig. 2and the lower ends of the hangers may have heads 6|-6| pivotally connected by bolts 62-62 to the screen 2-a but the screen 2-a is prevented from pivoting around the pivot bolts 62-62 by a sector II-a secured upon the screen 2-a, a bolt 5l-a locking the head. 6| to the sector by teeth 58-a thereon, the teeth 58-0 being radial with respect to the pivot bolt 62 as are the teeth on the sectors 5|-5| so that at any angular adjustment of the unequal length hangers l3-a and l3-b, the teeth of all of the sectors will interlock with the heads of the hangers to effect a rigid connection, at the upper end with the beam and at the lower end with the screen.

The overhead beams 8-8 overhang, toward the right, the uprights Ill-l6. Secured to each overhanging support portion |8-|8 thus provided is a pair of depending hanger elements I 9-| 6 thus making four in all. The attachment at their upper ends may be effected in any suitable manner, that shown comprising pieces of angle iron l2ll-l20 bolted to the support |8 by one flange and the other flange vertically disposed and secured to the hanger elements |9-|9 -by rivets or the like. The hanger elements I9 are preferably of strap form and are preferably made from resilient spring material so that' there will be some longitudinal stiffness, but in some cases they may be straps of fabric, leather, or the like.

A frame 20 is suspended from the lower end of the hanger elements I9. The frame is preferably constructed of four parts as follows: at the oppo site ends, generally U-form pieces 2|-2| are secured, by the open ends of the U, to the lower ends of the hanger elements Iii-l9. The intermediate part of the U is bolted by suitably engaged flanges, upon the outer end of a tubular element 22. The two end portions of the frame 20, thus provided, are bolted at the inner ends to the housing 23 of a rotary vibratory motion producing device to be more fully described, arranged to produce vibratory motion susbtantially in a horizontal plane, and to transmit this horizontal vibratory motion to the frame 20.

By means of the flexible suspension support provided by the hanger elements |9-|9, the frame 26 is free to move horizontally relative to its overhead support 8.

At suitable spaced points on the tubular elements 22-22 of the frame 20, rods 24-24 are secured thereto, preferably by being projected through aligned perforations in the tube wall and secured by nuts 25-25 on opposite sides of the tube. The other ends of the rods 24-24 extend through perforations 26 in the forward end wall 5 of the screen 2 and inwardly of said ends are secured to a transverse tie member 21 connected at opposite ends to the sides 4-4 of the screen, the connection of said end to the tie member being similar to that described for the other end.

In the operation of the apparatus thus far described, vibratory movement of the frame 20 is transmitted through the rods 24 to the screen 2 and vibrates it, and as will now be apparent, the movement given to the screen 2 will reproduce the vibratory movement of the frame 28 which, in turn, is received from the mechano-vibratory device 3, and the movements of the screen will not be modified or influenced by any weight or inertia of the device since both the screen 2 and the frame 26 are vibratorily supported independently of each other.

So far as I am aware I am the first to propose the vibration of a screen, conveyor or the like by means of a mechano-vibratory motion producing device and at the same time, to support the weight of the device and the apparatus vibrated thereby, one independently of the other, but each being free to move with the vibratory motion produced by the device.

Within the housing 23 is contained a mechanism such as that fully described in my copending application Serial No. 43,747 filed October 5, 1935 for improvements in vibrators. Reference to said application may be had for a more complete description of the mechanism and it will suffice here therefore to say that the mechanism comprises a shaft 28 projecting outwardly from the housing 23 and having thereon a driven pulley 29 which in the preferred form being considered here is a pulley of the V-type. The end discs or housing portions 36-30 of the housing 23 are arranged to be bolted to the inner ends of the tubular frame members 22-22. The frame 20 therefore is a rigid reconstruction from one U-form piece 2| to the other, the housing 23 constituting an intermediate portion of this frame; and the mechanism or device within the housing 23 will vibratethe entire frame as well as the housing 23.

As will now be apparent therefore, when the pulley 29 is rotatably driven, the frame 20 will be vibrated. As set forth in said application, the vibration produced by a device of this construction will be substantially rectilinear, and the mechanism within the housing 23 is therefore arranged in this instance to produce substantially horizontal rectilinear vibrations of the frame 20.

A drive shaft 3| is disposed under and substantially parallel to the frame 20 and rotatably mounted in bearings upon brackets 32-32 on the uprights III-l0 and is arranged to be rotatably driven by a power pulley 33.

' A V-type driving pulley 34 is mounted on the shaft 3| and connected to the pulley 29 by a belt 35.

The pulley 34 is in two parts, that is to say, it is divided on a rotational plane through the -V-groove thereof, one part 36 being rigidly secured to the shaft 3| as by a pin or key 63 and the other part 31 being axially movable on the shaft. By moving the part 31 away from the part 36, the V-belt will run on a smaller diameter and vice versa and this means is utilized to vary the speed of rotation of the mechano-vibratory device above described to adjust the rate of vibration of the screen 2 to the material being handled thereon.

To maintain the belt 35 without slack, particularly when the pulley 34 is adjusted for lower driving speed, an idler 38 runs on the belt mounted on an arm 39 pivotally connected to the transverse member of the main support and resilieuntly pressed upon the belt by a tension spring To adjustably move the pulley part 31,, the following provision is made. A lever 4| has a fork 42 thereon provided with pins 43 engaged in a groove 44 on the pulley part 31; and the lever 4| is pivoted intermediate its end at 45 upon a suitable bearing on the bracket I32. As the lever 4| is rocked by a handle 46 thereon, it will shift the pulley part 31 along the shaft 3| and in any adjusted position may be fixed by a pin 41 projected through a perforation in the lever and in one or another of an arcuate series of perforations 48 on the bracket I32.

My invention is susceptible of v many different embodiments. The essence of the invention resides in the provision of means to restrain or substantially prevent any component of vertical motion being imposed by the shaker upon the screen. The embodiment shown in Figure 6, wherein the hangers are of different length as at |3a and l3b, constitutes an exception to the above statement.

While in the embodiments illustrated I provide restraining means such as parallel preferable vertical supports |9, |9, disposed preferably at each side of the shaker per se 3, whereby the shaker cannot possibly move in vertical directions or rotationally to any substantial degree, but the supports l9 being yieldable to move a slight distance laterally to permit lateral reciprocation only of the shaker rod 24.

With applicants arrangement, as illustrated in Fig. 6 however, the motion given to the screen will, in such a case be transmitted through a rod or rods 64 which are horizontal and therefore the vibratory force has no vertical component and all goes to produce a swinging in the direction of the arrow 66.

Thus, besides the general advantages resulting from suspending the screen and the vibratory ,motion producing device independently of each other described above, there is a further important frame, supporting means for said vibrator, mo-' tion communicating means interconnecting said screen and said vibrator and adapted to communicate bodily movement of said vibrator to said screen when said movements are in a substantially rectilinear direction, said supporting means being disposed on opposite sides of the common center of gravity of the weight means in the direction of motion when the individual centers of gravity of said unbalanced weight means are disposed in the intended line of movement and comprising elements inflexibly holding said vibrator against tilting rotational movement and flexibly permitting movement of said vibrator only in the desired substantially rectilinear direction.

2. In combination with a screen, a vibrator supported independently of said screen, said vibrator comprising a frame, an unbalanced rotor journalled'therein adapted to effect bodily movements of said frame, supporting means for said vibrator, motion communicating means interconnecting said screen and said vibrator and adapted to communicate bodily movement of said vibrator to said screen when said movements are in a substantially rectilinear direction, said supporting means being disposed on opposite sides of the center of gravity of the unbalanced rotor in the intended line of movement of the vibrator, and comprising elements inflexibly holding said vibrator against tilting rotational movement and flexibly permitting movement of said vibrator only in the desired substantially rectilinear direction.

WILIIAM'LSHALE'R. 

